Why acupuncture is better for back pain than a trip to the GP

Acupuncture is more successful at easing back pain than conventional treatments from a GP, research has shown.

Patients who have the ancient Chinese therapy apparently suffer less discomfort and need fewer painkillers to get by.

A study of hundreds of patients revealed that those given a short course of acupuncture were still reaping the benefits two years later.

Dr Hugh MacPherson said his findings provided clear evidence of the treatment's effectiveness and called for it to be routinely prescribed on the Health Service.

Currently, fewer than 2,000 of the country's 34,000 family doctors offer acupuncture.

Dr MacPherson, of York University, tracked almost 250 long-term sufferers of back pain over two years.

All had complained of pain in the lower back for at least four months, and in some cases the discomfort was so bad they had had to give up work.

Half were given a three-month course of acupuncture alongside their usual treatment - often painkillers or physiotherapy. The others continued with the normal treatment prescribed by their GP.

After two years, the acupuncture patients felt significantly better. Their pain was more than twice as likely to have vanished for 12 months, their levels of pain had dropped by up to 15 per cent and they were less likely to take painkillers.

It is not known why the effects of the acupuncture lasted so long, but it is thought the treatment may somehow encourage the body to heal itself.

Long-term benefits

It is also possible that the patients benefited from the extra attention and that the acupuncturist gave them advice on how to cope with pain.

Each year, one in six Britons sees their doctor about back pain, at a cost of £480million.

The condition also costs around £10billion a year in lost productivity and sickness benefits.

The root cause of the problem is not known but possible factors range from a slipped disc to a strain from gardening.

Dr MacPherson, a qualified acupuncturist, also examined whether it would be cost-effective to use it on the NHS.

His calculations showed that the treatment is slightly more expensive in the short term, but its long-term benefits are invaluable.

"Acupuncture should be an option," he said. "If you go to your GP, your GP should say, 'Do you want physiotherapy, acupuncture or medication?'."

Previous studies have shown that the 3,000-year-old technique can cut the pain of arthritic knees and doubles a woman's chance of becoming pregnant through IVF.

The Department of Health said it was up to individual doctors and trusts to decide whether to offer acupuncture on the NHS.

A spokesman added that the Government considers decisions on alternative therapies "a local matter".